Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940 )

O, P. Mark, 2006, A systematic revision of the asterinid genus Aquilonastra O Loughlin, 2004 (Echinodermata: Asteroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63 (2), pp. 257-287 : 275

publication ID	1447-2554
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F03E746C-5D7C-FFD8-FCAB-FF00D88DFAE3
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940 )
status

Treatment

Aquilonastra iranica ( Mortensen, 1940) View in CoL

Figures 1, 5j–k

Asterina cephea var. iranica Mortensen, 1940: 65–66 View in CoL , pl. 1 figs 1–4.

Asterina burtoni View in CoL .—A.M. Clark and Rowe, 1971: 68, 69, tbl. 1.— Price, 1983: 47–48, fig. 14 (part, non-fissiparous).

Asterina burtoni burtoni var. iranica View in CoL .—A.M. Clark, 1993: 207, 208.

Aquilonastra iranica View in CoL .—OʼLoughlin and Waters, 2004: 11, 13–15.

Material examined. Syntype, Iranian Gulf , S of Bushire, coral reef, 18 Feb 1937, AM J17891 (1, dry) . Other material. Bahrain, Jufair , mudflat, WAM Z6868 View Materials (6) ; W Pakistan, Balochistan coast, Gwader , 25°N 62°E, 2 Dec 1977, NMV F112182 View Materials (1) GoogleMaps ; F112183 (2).

Diagnosis. Non-fissiparous Aquilonastra species; rays 5, long, broad basally, tapering, rounded distally; up to R = 35 mm, r = 15 mm ( Mortensen, 1940); abactinal proximal interradial pedicellariae, pairs of tooth-like differentiated valves; abactinal gonopores.

At R = 20 mm, r = 11 mm, from 0 to 5 proximal doubly papulate carinal plates; lacking secondary plates; spinelets on abactinal plates in small groups, up to 4 per group, or in transverse single or double series; up to about 12 spinelets on proximal abactinal plates; spinelets short, thick, conical to subsacciform; distal interradial plates with 4–6 splayed spinelets; superomarginal plates smaller than inferomarginals, up to about 6 spinelets per superomarginal plate, up to about 12 thicker spinelets per inferomarginal plate.

Spines per actinal plate up to: oral 8, suboral 5, furrow 7, subambulacral 9 (sometimes in 2 series), actinal interradial 5 (predominantly 3); interradial spines long, conical.

Colour (live). “Grayish, with reddish or bluish-gray spots; oral side lighter, uniformly coloured” ( Mortensen, 1940).

Distribution. Iranian Gulf; Arabian Sea, W Pakistan, soft and hard substrate.

Remarks. OʼLoughlin and Waters (2004) raised A. cephea var. iranica to species status. A. iranica is distinguished by: large size (up to R = 35 mm); pedicellariae with differentiated valves; few short thick conical to subsacciform spinelets on proximal abactinal plates.